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Corridor Researchers Elected as 2016 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors

Posted by The Corridor on December 13, 2016 @ 10:30 am

TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2016) – Eight academic inventors from Florida High Tech Corridor partner universities – the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Florida (UF) – are among 175 of the nation’s foremost researchers who will soon be inducted as 2016 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

These Corridor inventors join a group now totaling 757 NAI Fellows from 229 prestigious research universities, and governmental and nonprofit research institutions. The 2016 Fellows are named inventors on 5,437 issued U.S. patents, bringing the collective patents held by all NAI Fellows to more than 26,000.

Election as an NAI Fellow is a high honor bestowed upon academic innovators and inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions and innovations that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.

“I’m honored to join the National Academy of Inventors in recognizing these technology pioneers, who are forging the future of our Corridor as a leading high tech hub,” said Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. “From cancer therapies to sustainable energy solutions, the inventions of these esteemed researchers are revolutionizing life in our Corridor, our state and our nation.”

Academic inventors and innovators elected to the rank of NAI Fellow were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

The 2016 Fellows will be inducted on April 6, 2017, as part of the Sixth Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. U.S. Commissioner for Patents, Andrew H. Hirshfeld, will provide the keynote address for the induction ceremony. In honor of their outstanding accomplishments, Fellows will be presented with a special trophy, medal and rosette pin.

“It is exciting to see the NAI Fellows Program continue to honor and recognize the achievements of some of the world’s most creative and prolific academic inventors each year,” said NAI President Paul R. Sanberg. “We are privileged to welcome the 2016 Fellows to the Academy and recognize their remarkable discoveries and inventions, as well as their important contributions to society.”

Included among all NAI Fellows are more than 94 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and nonprofit research institutes, 376 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 28 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 45 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science, 28 Nobel Laureates, 216 AAAS Fellows, 126 IEEE Fellows, and 116 Fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, among other awards and distinctions.

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council is an economic development initiative of the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Florida (UF). The mission of The Corridor is to grow high tech industry and innovation through partnerships that support research, marketing, workforce and entrepreneurship.

A partnership involving more than 25 local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs), 14 state colleges and 12 CareerSource boards, The Corridor is co-chaired by the presidents of UCF, USF and UF. The Corridor includes the presidents of two state colleges, the president of the Florida Institute of Technology and representatives of high tech industry.

The unique partnership has resulted in a strategic approach to high tech economic development that supports matching funds research, marketing, workforce development and entrepreneurship leveraging governmental, EDO and corporate budgets on a regional rather than local basis.

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